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VIDEO: Wisconsin the talk of Sunday

POLITICO 44

Meanwhile in the states, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and other members of a new class of combative Republican governors are fighting pitched battles over painful budget cuts that affect issues that once were thought to be untouchable such as teacher tenure and collective-bargaining rights.

These showdowns in the states — expressed most spectacularly this week in Wisconsin’s capital — have brought to life a long-standing cliché of government: The most consequential political action and the most serious policy debates are not taking place in Washington, which appears unlikely to tackle any big-ticket items but, rather, beyond the Beltway, in the state capitols, which Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously labeled the “laboratories of democracy.”

With a budget-cutting and reform zeal unseen since the mid-1990s, a group of Republican chief executives are using difficult economic times to press an ambitious policy agenda that makes their GOP counterparts in Washington seem like timid incrementalists.

Their goal: to shatter a bipartisan consensus on public labor that’s shaped politics in the West, the Northeast and the Upper Midwest since the 1960s.

Welfare reform was the centerpiece legislation at issue for the new GOP governors in the ’90s. Today, public employee rights and benefits are on the firing line. Between the two, there is an important distinction: The political stakes are much greater now.

Aside from social justice advocates and traditional liberals, welfare recipients had little political clout. To take on the well-organized and politically connected teachers and state workers, however, is to strike at the heart of the Democratic Party in many states.

If Walker, who is trying to curb collective-bargaining rights, and Christie, who is attempting to overhaul teacher tenure, manage to succeed, they’ll only embolden their counterparts elsewhere — and potentially do grave damage to what is one of the Democrats’ most important financial and grass-roots constituencies. Florida Gov. Rick Scott and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, among other Republicans, are watching carefully, bracing for similar showdowns.

Much of the attention in Wisconsin is devoted to Walker’s proposal to strip state employees of the right to bargain collectively for anything besides their pay and to make them pay more for their health care and pensions.

Yet another element of the legislation could have even greater political consequences. The Republican would end the automatic deduction from their workers paychecks and make the unions collect the dues themselves, a move that would almost surely result in less cash flowing into labor coffers. It would block unions from collecting money from consenting wokers’ paychecks for political operations, and it would force annual elections on whether state workers even want a union, a lethal threat to public-sector labor.

Nice photo choice of the Governors politico. I'm sure some panty waist, sniveling journolister is giggling in their parent's basement at their choice. Unfortunately the gig is up, the public is wise to you and while you don't realize/admit it you are simply accelerating your own demise and the momemtum of those determined to take back their country!

It's one thing to drive a hard bargain for concessions. Its another to make an existential threat against the labor movement. I agree with Maritza; Walker has unleashed a whirlwind. I hope this damages the Republicans nationwide by showing what they are, people who will grant big giveaways to rich people, and squeeze the little guy for the money to make the gift.

These TeaGovs have to throw their weight around to please the idiots who drank the tea, but in the end they'll all settle down and govern responsibly and rationally or they'll simply be thrown out. Rick Scott in Fl may be a problem since we don't have a recall provision, but he's already seeing the light.

He's being reminded as we speak that he is not "King" of Florida, just Governor. I will say that he's just insane enough to force us to look at legislative recall options down here though. It could happen.

It's one thing to drive a hard bargain for concessions. Its another to make an existential threat against the labor movement. I agree with Maritza; Walker has unleashed a whirlwind.

Awwww, the poor dears...tisk tisk. They're being asked to fund 12% of their own benefits...AAAWWWWWW!! I fund 100% of my own. I wonder if I could dig into YOUR pocket to fund MY retirement? Social Security won't be around.

The WI teachers who went on strike ILLEGALLY should all be fired tomorrow. They directly violated their contract AND their collective bargaining agreement. The next step is to fire them! Reagan fired the air traffic controllers, Walker should fire the striking teachers.

Jingoist, you didn't get my point. I said, "It's one thing to drive a hard bargain for concessions. Its another to make an existential threat against the labor movement." Read what I say before you reply next time.

This is the time to get the country back into the hand of the citizens and voters and not the Unions and left professionals. Fight the state in state called Unions. Collective bargaining is an instrument of the ages, the early industrialization period. Only public employees are still back in the 19th century.

Keep your eyes on Michigan. You are going to see The replay of Wisconsin here. The new Governor, Rick Snyder has come after the people of the State with a meat axe, trying to raise taxes on people on fixed incomes. Going after the Unions who have already given every year for the last 6 years, all to give businesses a tax break he is going to pile that cost on the backs of the people, State Employees and Education ? The people are angry and very upset. Watch Lansing this week as people start to gather. Snyders plans are going nowhere !

Have you seen any of the polls??? You can not be serious. Most people stand with these governors. I wish I had a gov like in iowa, wisconsin, new jersey and ohio. Unions are now looking for concessions because they know they will lose the votes. Unions should end now. Even if times are good unions still are the driving force pushing jobs over seas along with one of the highest in the world corporate tax rates. All eyes are on Wisconsin, I pray Scott Walker does not blink. This along with energy(drilling here) will be the top issues in 2012 which the dems will be on the losing end If I had money to spare I would bet Leas Vegas oddas that the dems are the heavy underdogs.

Evidently, to "middle-man", it is "reasonable and rational" to allow teachers unions to destroy our children, and other public unions to create an elite class of government employees paid for by us "idiots" out here struggling to support their elitism. NO MORE!!